As a kid, I always loved reading. The library was my happy place and where I loved to spend time in school. I loved diving my nose into a nice thriller or horror book as an elementary schooler. Somewhere along the way, school got harder and reading for fun was put on the back burner and just wasn’t a priority anymore. I thought I had lost my childhood love for books over the years, but by some miracle around this time last year, I started seeing so many more videos on Youtube and TikTok about books. I saw so many people reviewing all kinds of different books, and I immediately got sucked into the world of BookTube and BookTok. Through a very thorough binge of BookTube and BookTok videos, I found my spark for books again. I found reading to be “back in style” and started thinking maybe I should start reading again. That spark led me to ask for books as my Christmas gifts that year. Seeing the books I got on my desk day after day made me finally pick a book up, and I read it cover to cover in one sitting. That’s what ignited my passion for loving books and reading again. So here are some book recommendations for that spark within you that is waiting to ignite.
Book #1: “The Guest List” by Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
What starts off as a perfectly planned destination wedding between the bride, an ambitious magazine publisher, and the groom, a rising TV actor, ends up as a mess when someone turns up dead. This is a book that you just will not want to put down. I remember I stayed up all night to finish this book because I just needed to find out what happened and who did it! This book has 3.85/5 stars on Goodreads and was also a Goodreads Choice 2020 winner. If you are looking for a suspenseful book with some twists and turns, this book is right up your alley.
Book #2: “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama
Monique Grant is a struggling journalist. Evelyn Hugo is an Old Hollywood star who has had seven husbands and holds a lot of mystery behind her. This novel tells the story of Evelyn Hugo, who at the age of 79 wants to give a final interview to an unknown journalist, Monique Grant, and share her entire life story with the public. This book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, but let me tell you it is worth the ride. I just did not want to put the book down or let the story end. This book has 4.46/5 stars on Goodreads. If you are looking for a compelling story to hook you, this is just what you need!
Book #3: “Verity” by Colleen Hoover
Genre: Thriller, Romance, Fiction, Suspense
Verity Crawford is a bestselling author, but when she is injured, her husband has no choice but to bring in a ghostwriter, Lowen Ashleigh, to complete the remaining books in Verity’s successful series. Lowen comes to Verity’s home to go through and collect materials to finish her remaining books, only to find an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. This book had me on the edge of my seat, and I was literally not able to put it down so I finished this book in one sitting. The suspense, thrill, twists and turns this book takes is nothing like anything I have ever read before and definitely is one of my favorite books of all time. This book has 4.40/5 stars on Goodreads. If you are looking for a book to make your jaw drop and thrill and scare you, this is definitely the book for you!
Book #4: “The Selection” by Kiera Cass
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fiction
“The Selection” is a three-part series. The first book is called “The Selection,” the second book is called “The Elite” and the third book is called “The One.” The first novel is about 35 girls coming from various backgrounds and castes who submit an application for the chance to partake in the Selection to marry the prince. The series follows a girl named America who doesn’t want to participate in the Selection but has her own reasons for going, and a boy named Maxon, the prince who has to find love among 35 girls living in his palace. Will he find the love of his life, or will he marry purely for the duty of his title? This three-part series sucks you into the world of America and Maxon, leaving you to wonder up until the very last moment what will happen. These books are super easy to read, and I flew right through them. The first book has 4.10/5 stars on Goodreads. If you are looking to really get into a story and fall in love with characters in a series, this could be just what you need!
These three books and one three-book series are all novels that I have read over the past year that have gotten me to fall back in love with reading again and reignited that childhood spark of mine. Even if you don’t go out and grab one of these books to read, you find yourself wanting to read again and reignite your reading passion. Below are some books that are on my current TBR (to be read) list in case you are looking for more options than what I have listed above. Happy reading!
Thriller Suspense Books on my TBR List:
- “A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder” by Holly Jackson
- “The Cousins” by Karen M. McManus
- “One of Us is Lying” by Karen M. McManus
- “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart
- “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
- “The Paris Apartment” by Lucy Foley
Romance Books on my TBR List:
- “The Spanish Love Deception” by Elena Armas
- “It Happened One Summer” by Tessa Bailey
- “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren
- “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover
- “Anatomy: A Love Story” by Dana Schwartz